The Haunted House of Jimmy Kudo
by Darkberry-Dragonkit
Summary: While Conan is playing Kickball with Harley Hartwell, the Junior Detective League comes and tells Conan that a classmate, Melissa, was dared to stay in "The Haunted House across the street from Dr. Agasa," or Jimmy Kudo's house.
1. Chapter 1

Conan kicked the ball with his Super-Kick Shoes. "Hey! No fair! Ya can't use those things in kickball!" Harley yelled.

"Hahaha yes I can!" Conan laughed while walking the bases just to piss Harley off.

"Hey Conan, can we play?" Mitch asked after appearing out of nowhere with George and Amy.

"Uh Mitch…WE HAVE A CASE REMEMBER?" George screamed.

"A case?" Harley asked. "Like a detective's case?"

"Uh yeah we're the Junior Detective League!" George said proudly. Harley looked at Conan and grinned, suppressing a laugh.

"What's the case guys?" Conan asked, ignoring Harley.

"Tell the tall guy to go away" George said stubbornly.

"He's a detective too!" Conan protested.

"Well we don't want him stealing our credit do we?" George continued, being really stubborn.

"Oh come on George! Any of Conan's friends are my friends and should be yours too!" Amy said. George looked at her for a second and then turned back to Conan.

"Fine. Ya know Melissa? She was dared to stay at the haunted house across the street from Dr. Agasa's house-lab-place-thingy."

"Wait…where Kudo used to live?" Harley asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, why?" Mitch said, and Harley burst out laughing.

"What's his problem?" George asked.

"Uh, I don't know." Conan replied quickly. He nudged Harley, but it was no use.

" Anyway, Melissa asked the Junior Detective League to check it out. Come on! It'll be fun!" Mitch said. Harley started to laugh even harder as Conan's eyes widened.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm telling you the place _isn't_ haunted!" Conan said for the tenth time.

"How do _you_ know that?" Mitch asked.

"Yeah…how DO you know that Ku-" Conan kicked Harley. "Ow! Conan!" Harley said teasingly.

"Well…it's only logical. Remember last time? It was just the family, NOT a ghost." Conan said, struggling to keep calm. "And I don't think Jimmy Kudo would be happy to know a bunch of little kids were breaking into his house." Conan added quickly.

"Yeah…you would know." Harley said with a grin.

"Well, what's that supposed to mean?" Amy asked.

"Oh! Uh, Jimmy is my...uh…cousin! Kinda distant cousin…but I haven't seen him in a while." Conan struggled.

"WHAT? YOU DIDN'T TELL US?" The whole Junior Detective League exclaimed at once.

"No wonder he's so good." George said pouting.

Harley's grin got a little wider. "Yeah, but I'm sure they've talked recently…isn't that right Conan?" he said teasingly.

"Oooooh what did he say? Where is he? He must be proud of his little cousin and the Junior Detective League!" Amy said excitedly. She had completely recovered from the shock of Conan being related to the famous Jimmy Kudo.

"Umm…yeah he's glad we're doing a great job taking care of crimes while he's gone…and he's on a top secret mission-case-thing. Even I'm not allowed to know it's so secret." Conan said carefully, watching Harley start laughing again.

They got to Conan's old house, and Harley looked at Conan with a smile and said, "You first, little Kudo." Conan sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to convince everyone to turn back, and led the group into his currently uninhabited house.


	3. Chapter 3

"Gosh Conan, your cousin was rich!"

"George…my cousin really wouldn't want us in his house."

"We promised Melissa."

"Mitch, Conan's right. What if his cousin chooses to come home today?"

"Well if me and Conan are here it shouldn't be _that_ big a problem. Isn't that right little Kudo?"

"Jimmy would probably get mad anyway. Bad reunion for me and my cousin if I'm in his house with some friends."

"Come on Conan! It'll be fun!"

"Amy, weren't _you_ the scared one last time?"

"But Conan, you said yourself it's not haunted! You weren't lying, were you?" Amy asked. Conan knew that there was no way of getting them out of the house, but he _really_ didn't want his house to be trashed.

"Come on gang…spread out! We have a house to search!" George said enthusiastically.

"Let's come up with a plan first." Mitch suggested. "You know, cover everything to make sure it isn't haunted in less time…not that it is scientifically possible for the place to be haunted."

"Yeah…cause I'm sure that Jimmy left the house purely on the knowledge that it's haunted." Harley said with an eye roll. "But if you little kids are really scared, pair up. I'm goin off on my own." He said over his shoulder as he walked farther into the house… *Whispers* "babies."

"Oh I'll go with Conan!" Amy said, quickly grabbing Conan's arm. "He knows the house so I won't get lost."

"And it's ok if we get lost?" George demanded.

"You know what I mean George. Conan can always come f-"

"Forget it. Come on Mitch." Before they turned the nearest corner, both George and Mitch shot an angry look at Conan.

"Hey Amy, maybe we should split up. You know, cover more ground!"

"Don't be silly, Conan. We're a team!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Mitch, I feel like a baby teamed up."

"Yeah, me too!"

"Let's split up. You go that way and I'll keep going straight."

"You got it!" Mitch was already turning left.

* * *

Conan thought he felt a slight tugging on his neck, but stopped quickly, and he didn't think much of it. Amy was still clinging to his arm, and he tried to shake her off. "Amy, there is absolutely nothing to be scared of! We haven't seen anything, haven't heard anything, and we probably won't so let go!" With a couple more shakes, Amy still refused to let go. Conan gave one last final tug without any luck, Amy was still holding on tightly. Seeing it was useless to try to get her off, Conan gave up and kept walking.

Suddenly a strange sound came from the room behind them. Amy gasped and grabbed Conan tighter. Conan thought for a second, and then pulled Amy into a small storage closet and looked to see who had made the sound. However, it was traveling away from them. The sound was a person, and Conan heard the stranger say something quietly.

"Conan…I'm scared." Amy said quietly, but Conan was distracted. He wanted to know who broke into his house…other than Harley the Junior Detective League and himself. However, Conan only had heard one pair of footsteps, and a second voice started to talk.

_We would have walked right past that guy, but we didn't see anything! Besides, wouldn't he have attacked me and Amy? We weren't really keeping our voices down. _Conan thought. _Well, the only thing to do is to keep going! If we stay here, we're sitting ducks!_

Conan slowly made his way out of the closet. Amy tried to hold him back. Their eyes met, hers filled with fear, and his deep in thought. Before Amy could make a sound, Conan put a finger on his free hand to his lips, and Amy nodded. She showed more confidence as they crept out of the closet and farther down the hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

_There are other people in this house…Conan couldn't have known about this…but the tall guy probably did! He didn't want us to stay out 'cause he wants us dead so he can take credit!_ George was walking down what seemed to be an endless hallway, with multiple twists and turns. _I KNEW we shouldn't have trusted that tall guy!_

* * *

_Where IS everybody? I should have run into SOMEONE by now! This house can't be THAT big. _Mitch was checking all the rooms when he heard footsteps getting closer. He jumped into the nearest room and hit some big guy. Mitch's heart skipped a beat as he slowly turned to see the guy who he had been unfortunate enough to bump in to.

* * *

There were more footsteps. Conan had to put a hand over Amy's mouth to make sure that she did not scream as he yanked her into another room. Conan silently closed the door and waited patiently for the footsteps to fade or pass by.

* * *

Amy was holding her breath. She was so terrified that even Conan wasn't making her feel better. _This wasn't a good idea. No more haunted houses!_ The footsteps were drawing closer and Amy could feel tears forming in her eyes. _Please go away, please go away, please go away! _Amy silently pleaded. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped and Amy could hear a faint clicking. She bit her tongue to prevent herself from screaming, but she still felt the tears starting to run down her cheeks. Amy looked at Conan and saw him staring intently at the room's door. There was one more click, and all went silent for a moment. And that was when Amy heard it.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hmmm…thought I heard someone or something around here." said the familiar voice. Not many people had heard from the owner of that voice for a while. It was the voice of…_Jimmy Kudo!_

Conan and Amy gasped when they heard Jimmy's voice, but for two different reasons. _He came home! How will we get out? _Amy thought, but Conan looked down instead of worrying. He noticed that his bowtie was missing and glared at the door.

"**HARLEY!**" Conan screamed.

* * *

Harley heard his name screamed from inside the closet and gasped. _It's Conan in there, not one of the other guys!_ he realized, a moment too late. Conan threw open the door and their eyes met for a second before Harley turned and started running.

"Harley! Give it back!" Conan yelled.

Harley lifted the bowtie and replied in Jimmy's voice, "Leave me alone! Why are you in my house?"

"Quit it! Give it back!" Harley jumped over the stair railing and Conan followed. They ran farther into the house when they heard the front door open. Harley and Conan stopped running and their eyes opened wide when they heard a familiar voice.

"Hello? Jimmy? Are you here?" Rachel's voice echoed as she slowly walked farther into the house. Harley and Conan dashed up the stairs and rounded the corner just before Rachel saw them.

* * *

Conan got to the attic a second before Harley, and Amy said quietly "Conan?" Conan whipped around, only to see the Junior Detective League looking at Harley and Conan in a questioning way. Conan took his bowtie from Harley and let George, Mitch, and Amy into the attic. Conan went in, but shut the door before Harley could get up.

"Conan?" Amy whispered.

"Not now, Amy, later."

"But Conan-"

"We have to stay quiet, otherwise we'll get caught."

* * *

"Jimmy?" The voice was getting clearer, and the footsteps were getting closer. Harley looked frantically for somewhere to hide. _Why did Conan close the attic before I could get up? _he wondered. Harley could see Rachel's figure coming closer, and he knew he was running out of time.

"Jimmy? Is that you?" she asked. Rachel had seen him! There was no way of escaping! "Jimmy?" Rachel asked, and she was right behind him. Harley slowly turned, knowing he was cornered. "_**Harley?**_"


	7. Chapter 7

**"Harley Hartwell just **_**WHAT**_** do you think you are doing in Jimmy's house?"**

"Uh, I…I mean I…uh…why are _you_ in Kudo's house?"

Rachel punched that wall, and she heard a gasp in from above her. "One, do NOT change the subject. Two, what was that coming from the attic?"

"Um, it didn't come from the attic. It was me…you kinda…scare me."

"If I scare you, then I trust you'll listen to me when I tell you that we're leaving?"

"Maybe?"

Rachel grabbed Harley's arm and yanked him towards the hallway. "Come on!" she commanded angrily. Harley glanced back to see an apologetic Conan looking down from the attic.

* * *

"Mitch, my foot still hurts from when you stepped on it and ran into me in that room."

"My heart is still racing cause I thought you were one of those guys running around the house, George. But I guess Rachel didn't do much to help that just now. She probably scared off anybody else in the house though."

"Guys."

"Amy, we have to go find Harley-"

"But Conan-"

"Not now, Amy."

"Conan! I don't think _that_ is supposed to be there!" Amy pointed to something.

"What?" Conan said while he turned around. His eyes widened and he gasped. Lying on the floor was…

_A Dead Body!_


	8. Chapter 8

Amy screamed. Very loudly. The scream echoed slightly through the attic. Nobody bothered to quiet her; they were all frozen in their fear.

_I knew that we shouldn't have come!_ thought Amy.

George thought _How did that get there?_

_I guess Conan lied about nothing being here, but how did a dead body wind up in the attic?_ wondered Mitch.

_What happened? Who got into my house? How did a dead body wind up in my attic? What is going on here?_ thought Conan fearfully and angrily.

* * *

"You really shouldn't break into people's houses, Harley. You're a detective, not a theif you know." Rachel continued lecturing Harley when a scream came from inside Jimmy's house. "Huh? What was that?"

Harley hesitated slightly, fighting the urge to run to Kudo's house. He knew that it would be a giveaway if he did, so instead he answered apprehensively. "I don't know what you're talking about, Rachel."

"You mean you didn't hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That scream. I thought I heard a little girl's scream coming from Jimmy's house."

"Rachel…are you feeling ok? First you're hearing Kudo and now a little girl's scream coming from Jimmy's house? You're imagining things!" _What happened? Why did that little girl scream? I gotta get back there, Conan could be in trouble!_

"Well, maybe I'm imagining things, but when I heard Jimmy, I found you in his house didn't I? You still didn't tell me what you were doing in there!" Rachel screamed. She turned around and stomped off down the street.

Harley shook his head before taking off into a sprint back to Jimmy's house. _I just hope that I'm not too late to help them if they are in trouble!_

* * *

Gin was walking past Jimmy Kudo's old house. Everyone was wondering where the famous young detective went off to, and Gin couldn't help but smile to himself. _That's all over now, thanks to me._ Suddenly, he saw the strangest sight. A girl…no, not _a_ girl…_the _girl…the girl who was with Jimmy right before he died…she was dragging a teenage boy out of Jimmy's house and yelling at him for something. _Better not to be caught. She might recognize me._ thought Gin as he hid himself using the side of the fence. _Is that…? No, definitely not that detective Jimmy. That would be impossible anyway, considering that Jimmy is dead._ _But why was he in Jimmy Kudo's house? And why was that girl in there too? _Just before the two teenagers reached the end of the fence around Kudo's house, Gin heard a scream that unmistakably came from inside Jimmy's house. _Did she say she heard Jimmy's voice? And why is that teenage boy headed back to the house? _Gin looked up and saw a small boy through the attic window. His shadow looked a little familiar…kind of like…Gin gasped. _No. That can't be. I killed him! But I should check it out to be sure anyway, although I don't know why I'm bothering. There is no way this is possible! Still, I just have to find a way into the house…_


	9. Chapter 9

Harley ran into the house and raced up the stairs. _I've gotta find out why the girl screamed!_ He got to the attic and started banging on the door.

"Conan! Let me in!" he screamed. Conan opened the door and Harley went into the attic. "What's going on up here? Why did –" Harley stopped when he saw the body. He ran over to the body and started investigating the scene of the crime.

"I don't see what killed him." Harley said after about 5 minutes. He stepped back when the body exploded into confetti and red smoke. A figure could be seen in the smoke and confetti shower, and everybody gasped when he stepped into view. The person who was standing there was…_Kaito Kid!_


	10. Chapter 10

Harley could barely believe that Kaito Kid was standing there…he had just examined the dead body…and that is just what it seemed to be! A dead body lying in the attic!

"Kid? What are you doing here?" Conan asked.

"Well…I just thought that I'd drop by…and I thought that I had heard about you coming here with the Junior Detective League…but there seems to be one missing…where is the other girl?"

"Ai had to something that she had to do at home…" Conan tried to explain.

"Something with…?" Kaito started, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, stepping forward to get a better view of Kid.

"Oh…it's nothing –" Conan started.

"Why do the two of you know and we don't?" George asked, stepping to Amy's side.

"Well…it's kinda funny…you see…Kid here has this weird thing where he can like read my mind or something." Conan tried.

"Really? Cool!" Mitch started, getting side tracked.

"Uh hello? Mitch? They still haven't answered the question yet." George said stubbornly.

* * *

Rachel had seen Harley sprint back towards the house. She waited until he had rounded the corner so she could go unseen. When Rachel heard Harley go back into Jimmy's house, she stood by the open gate. She had started inspecting the outside of the house when something caught her eye. Rachel looked up at the attic when she saw it…a shadow. A shadow in the attic. Jimmy's shadow.

"Jimmy! Jimmy Kudo! I _KNOW _you're in there! I can see you Jimmy! You can't hide!" Rachel screamed from below the window. They were trapped!

"Conan? Why is Rachel screaming 'Jimmy'?" Amy asked. "Jimmy isn't here…is he?"

Conan, Harley and Kid exchanged looks while Rachel continued screaming from outside. Finally, Rachel shouted a threat that nobody could ignore. If Jimmy didn't come out, she was coming in.

Conan looked at Kid. Kid looked at Conan. They nodded to each other. Both of them knew what they had to do.


	11. Chapter 11

Rachel was fed up. _If Jimmy refuses to come out, I'm going in._ "Jimmy Kudo, I swear that if you do not come out this second, I _**will**_ come into the house!" She was about to storm into the house when she heard a voice reply.

"Hold on, Rachel. I'll come out in a minute!"

_ Jimmy! Why has he been avoiding me? Has he been home this whole time? But I've been in his house, and he wasn't there! Jimmy had better have a good explanation for this!_

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted by Jimmy. "Rachel?" he shouted from the attic window. She looked up and saw him standing in the window, looking down at her.

"Jimmy!"

* * *

_Why does the girl keep screaming up to the window? Jimmy obviously isn't here, he's dead!_ Gin thought to himself. But then, the unbelievable happened, a voice responded! By the look on the girl's face, it must have been Jimmy Kudo's voice. Less than a minute later, a teenager, probably around 17, appeared at the window. The girl was obviously happy to see him, and she (Rachel, did he say?) shouted his name in disbelief.

"Jimmy!" she shouted. _Now I remember, didn't Jimmy Kudo look something like that? But that pill should have killed him!_ Gin thought angrily. _There is only one thing to do…I have to kill the famous Jimmy Kudo myself!_

* * *

Kid was looking out the window. He had Rachel fooled! She really thought that he was Jimmy Kudo! Kid smiled and did a quick scan of the area. His eyes rested on one man. He looked like he was going to jump Rachel if she left the front yard. He had long, blonde hair and a hat…a _black_ hat. Actually, he was wearing…_all black_. _Is that a member of the Black Organization? I have to tell Conan! _"Rachel, I'll be right down!" Kid said, acting casual. He walked back into the house calmly so it would look like there was nothing wrong. _She can take care of herself if he dares to try anything on her. _ He turned to Conan.

"Is something wrong?"

"There's a guy out there. He looks like he might be from the Black Organization. He has this really long hair and-"

"GIN?"

"Conan…isn't gin a type of alcohol?"

"That's not what I mean Amy!" Conan said as over his shoulder as he dashed for the window.

Kaito Kid tried to stop him. "Uhhh…Conan I don't think that that's a good idea. I mean…Rachel's already mad as it is for having Harley here. I don't think she'll be too happy to see you here too."

"No! If that's Gin, Rachel could be in danger!" Conan said, as he pushed past Kid and headed towards the window.

"Hey…isn't Gin that guy that gave you the pill?" Harley asked, completely forgetting that the Junior Detective League was there.

"What pill?" Mitch asked.

"Yeah, Conan. What pill?" George added, taking a step forward.

"Conan? What are you doing up there?" called Rachel.

"Uhhhhmmmmm…spending time with cousin Jimmy?"

"Is that why Harley was there? Hey, Jimmy! You have _some nerve_ coming home and inviting everyone to come over except me! And where were you hiding when I came in the house? I saw Harley, but not you or Conan!"

"Rachel, I-"

"That's it Jimmy Kudo! I am coming in! And I'd like to see you _try_ to stop me!"

"Uh-oh."


	12. Chapter 12

He may be able to hide his emotions pretty well, but there was no mistaking the flash of fear across Jimmy Kudo's face when the slightly scary teenage girl announced that she was going into the house. _Now I have my way in._ A small, cruel smile slowly crept across Gin's face. _My job just got a whole lot easier._

* * *

"Rachel's coming up?"

"Yes, Amy. We have to hide you guys. _NOW_."

"Why hide us, Conan? It's only Rachel."

"Mitch, you heard how angry she was! Do you think that she will be more casual and forgiving if she finds out that you guys are here, too?" Conan answered. "Jimmy doesn't even _know_ you guys!" he pointed out.

"Yeah, Conan's got a point there, Mitch. Maybe we should hide until she's not so angry," George added.

Amy looked kind of scared. "What about you guys? Rachel's really mad."

"But she already knows that we're here, so why try to hide? It'll just end in more chaos."

"The tall guy's got a point. Junior Detective League, split up and hide!" George commanded with confidence.

"But what about the house being haunted? I don't want to be alone! What if some evil spirit comes and tries to hurt us?" Amy asked, obviously still believing in the possibility of the house truly being "haunted."

"Look, you should know by now that the house _isn't _haunted. The only ghost you'll see around here is that guy," Harley said, pointing to Kaito, "And the only evil spirit that you have to worry about is an angry Rachel. So go hide until you don't have to worry about Rachel completely destroying something, ok?"

"Yeah, Amy, don't worry about it," George added. They heard the front door open and slam shut. "Like I said before, split up and hide!"

"Ok!" Amy and Mitch agreed before scrambling off.

* * *

_That good-for-nothing comes home without any warning and then invites Conan over as well as a rival detective that he doesn't even know. But doesn't stop to think that maybe, just maybe, I would want to see him after he disappeared without a trace? No. _Rachel thought angrily. She walked into the house and slammed the door behind her in anger. After the echo of the slammed door faded, Rachel heard someone running somewhere in the house. "Jimmy! Don't you dare even _try_ to hide!"

"Don't worry, Rachel," Harley said as he came down the stairs. "Kudo's upstairs. You scared him so badly I don't think he _could_ go anywhere," he joked. Rachel wasn't impressed.

"I didn't come to see you, Harley. I came to see Jimmy," Rachel said. Then she yelled up the stairs, "Jimmy! Get down here!"

"Yeah, Kudo! Do you plan on staying up there all day? I know Rachel can be scary, but don't stick _me_ with her!"

"Very funny, Harley," Conan said as he came down the stairs.

"Conan, where's Jimmy?" Harley looked amused. Conan shot him a look before answering Rachel as innocently as he could.

"I think Jimmy said that he wanted to get something. I'm sure he'll be right down."

"Hey, Rachel! How's it going?"

"Don't 'hey Rachel' me! Jimmy, why didn't you tell me that you were here? You tell Conan and a rival detective, but you don't tell me?"

"Rachel, I told Conan that I was going to come back for just a couple of hours today. And I specifically told him to let you know. Don't tell me you forgot." Conan looked stunned for a minute. He couldn't believe that Kaito Kid, who was pretending to be _him_, had just thrown him under the bus like that. However, he quickly recovered his innocent-little-kid expression and put his arms behind his head.

"Conan? Is this true?" Rachel asked. Conan wasn't exactly sure what to say, but he knew that he had to react quickly.

"I tried, Rachel. I kept trying to tell you but you were always busy. You kept saying things like 'not now, Conan' and 'later Conan. For now why don't you go play with your friends?' I figured that I'd go see Cousin Jimmy and then surprise you by taking him back for a little visit before he had to leave again."

"That's true. I guess it is partially my fault. But Conan, you know that I would have let you talk if I knew that it was about Jimmy."

"Really? Boy do I feel special!" the fake-Jimmy joked, completely in character.

"Well, you know Jimmy, I rarely ever hear from you. Everybody says that you must be out on some case, and I know how dangerous those things can get. Sometimes I wonder if something happened to you!" Rachel protested.

_Great. Looks like I'm going to have to start making calls again,_ Conan thought.

"While this is touching and all, it's kind of awkward for me. Hope you don't mind if I bug out," Harley piped up, taking a step back toward the door.

"Wait a minute, Harley. You still haven't explained why you're here, and how you knew that Jimmy was going to be here today," Rachel said expectantly. Harley stopped.

"Simple. As you know, I decided to spend the weekend here to visit Ku-onan. I was going to stop by today, but I saw Conan leaving so I asked where he was going. Apparently I have pretty good timing 'cause I came east when the 'famous detective who vanished' was here," Harley explained, making air quotes around 'famous detective who vanished.' "I figured I'd come with him to see Kudo since I never really got to challenge his detective skills. We've been talking about detective stuff ever since!" Harley said, hoping that his half-lie wasn't obvious.

"Oh, ok. But how do you explain the scream after I dragged you out of the house?"

"Gotta ask Kudo that one," Harley answered.

"What are you talking about, Rachel?" Kid asked, sounding kinda worried.

"Oh, I thought that I heard a little girl scream," Rachel answered a little timidly.

"What? Where?" Kid demanded, ready to jump to action just like the _real _Jimmy would.

"Well, it seemed like it was coming from your attic. But if none of you heard it…I guess it was just my imagination," Rachel said, getting quieter as she reached the end.

"Rachel," Kid started, returning to a relaxed position. "We were just up in the attic. We would have known if there was someone screaming in there. You're crazy, Rachel," he said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I could have sworn –"

"I heard it too," said a new voice from the doorway. The voice was all-too-familiar. Everyone turned, shocked and frightened, to "greet" the new and unexpected visitor that had slipped in unnoticed. Standing in the doorway, holding a lit cigarette and wearing all black with a slightly triumphant grin was Gin. "Well, well. Jimmy Kudo. Long time no see."


	13. Chapter 13

_Something is wrong. I just know it._ Ai thought as she put down the beaker in her lab. _Where is it…where is it…where is that badge? … Ah! Here it is!_ Ai pulled out the Junior Detective League badge and put it on. "Guys? Is everything alright?" she asked, only to be answered by silence.

* * *

Ai's voice echoed in the silence of Jimmy's house. "Is everything alright?" she had asked.

"What was that?" Gin demanded.

"Uh…I think you're hearing things."

"Conan, I think that you have been hanging out with Harley too much." Rachel said, remembering that that had been the same answer Harley had given her when she had heard the scream.

Harley looked offended. "Hey, it's not my fault the kid picked up a thing or two."

"I don't remember asking either of you to talk." Gin held the gun up a little higher. "All I asked was where the voice came from. If you cannot answer the question, it is best that you stay silent."

"Ok, we go on three." A voice faintly whispered from above.

"Who's there?" Gin demanded, getting angry at all the people who seemed to be hidden in the house.

The door creaked open and Gin whipped around with the others to see who was there. It was Ai. She collapsed the moment that she saw Gin.

"**THREE!**" Mitch shouted as the rest of the Junior Detective League jumped the railing and fell through the air. Gin jerked his head up, but didn't have enough time to move before the three kids landed squarely on him. The mass made up of the four bodies toppled over, and the gun fell out of Gin's hand and slid across the floor, stopping close to Conan, Harley, Kid, and Rachel. Conan bent down and carefully picked it up with his handkerchief. Gin was surprisingly still.

"Conan! Don't touch that! That is NOT a toy!" Rachel shouted as Conan was picking up the gun.

"Harley rolled his eyes. "Rachel, the kid's not an idiot. _He knows what he's doing._"

"Harley, can you get a bag or something from the kitchen that I could put this in?"

"Here." Harley said, handing over a bag after dumping out a few things. "I picked it up while I was running around the house." Conan and Kaitou shot him a look. "What? I was going to return it!"

"You know Jimmy…sometimes Conan reminds me of you." Rachel said, unknowingly looking at Kaitou Kid. He just responded with a small smile without really looking at her.

"How touching." Gin said from the floor, he then jerked up violently. **"GET OFF ME!" **he shouted, struggling to get up with the kids hanging on him. He grabbed Amy and yanked at her harshly, and she screamed. Kaitou Kid's smile vanished as he dove in to save Amy from Gin's brutal grasp. Mitch and George scrambled to help pull Gin away from Amy when another pair of hands joined to help.

"Leave her alone, Gin!" Ai angrily commanded, obviously working as hard as she could to pull Amy out of his grasp. Gin stopped and looked up in shock to see Sherry standing over him. His grip slackened, and the Junior Detective League and Kid pulled Amy free.

Rachel got the little detectives together and made sure that they were not too badly harmed. Kid, Harley, and Conan stood over Gin's body as he laid there in shock. Suddenly, he came to his senses.

"Traitor!" he shouted, looking at Ai. He then looked down at Conan. "You." He said, returning to his usual cool tone. Harley jumped forward in an attempt to grab Gin. Instead, Gin grabbed back his gun. Harley tried to take him down, but it was too late. He had already vanished from the house.


	14. Chapter 14

Everybody stood in silence, staring at the open door. Finally, Conan crossed the room and closed the door. He walked back to join the others. "He's gone."

"Who was that?" Rachel asked. The door opened and everyone tensed. A figure was standing in the doorway. It hesitated slightly, and then entered.

"Hello Conan and friends. Harley. Judging by the way that guy bolted out of here, I would say that I just missed something big. Care to fill me in?"

"What are you doing here, Hakuba?" Harley demanded.

"Hold on, Harley. Hakuba, you said that someone bolted out of here. Did you see where he went?" Kaito asked.

"No, he knocked me down and ran past. Rather rude if you ask me. But then again, judging by the way that he tore out of here, it did seem that he in a hurry to leave."

"Where did he push you down?" Harley asked, putting aside the usual argument between Hakuba and himself.

"On the walkway up to your house. Inside the gate, not out."

"Ok, let's split up and look for him. Five groups, every group having a Junior Detective League badge so we can keep in touch." Conan said, taking charge.

"Oh boy! We haven't had a good case in a while!" Amy piped up.

"I'm sorry, but if that man is as dangerous as he looks, this is not a case for kids." Hakuba said, looking at Amy. "Besides, it's dark out. We don't want to lose you. Maybe next time."

"The Junior Detective League can handle any case!" Amy said defiantly.

"Yeah!" George and Mitch shouted together.

"Let's go!" the three shouted.

"How about we split you up? I mean, we need 5 groups, and you guys are such great detectives! I'm not much of a detective myself, so I'm gonna need all the help I can get" Rachel said. The other teens realized what she was doing, and nodded.

"I'll go with you, Rachel." Mitch volunteered.

"I'm with Harley" Conan said, moving to Harley's side.

"I'll go with that guy who just walked in." George offered, walking over to stand by Hakuba.

"And I'll go with you!" Amy said, running to Kid's side.

"That leaves…Ai. Well Ai, you don't have a partner so you should join a group." Mitch said. "Join any group you want."

"No thanks. I'll go out on my own." Ai said. "That makes five groups. Each group has a teen, a kid, and a badge." Conan looked at her and nodded.

Rachel looked a little skeptical. "But you don't have a teen with you, Ai. Are you sure you'll be ok?" She took a step towards Ai, but Ai ignored the movement.

"I'll be fine."

"If you're sure, then we're ready to go. Time to split up." Hakuba said, and they all started for the door.


	15. Chapter 15

_ He would have gone this way. _Ai thought as she turned a corner. The groups had each went in different directions in pursuit of Gin. Ai shuddered. _If it's Gin they want, it's Gin they're going to get._

…

"Man, I wonder where that guy went. He was just gone. There one second and gone the next." George rambled.

"I doubt we are going to find him if you keep rambling on like this. He'll hear you before we even get a glimpse of him." Hakuba said, clearly annoyed.

"All right, all right. Jeez. You don't have to be so pushy."

…

"Where do you think he went?"

"Well, Rachel, Ii really can't tell because nobody saw even the general direction he was heading. However, judging by how fast he was running I would say that he is at least one mile away from the house by this point. But that would be if he was running straight. Seeing as he's trying to escape, I would guess that he's probably taking a complicated route to try to shake us off." Mitch replied.

Rachel stopped walking and put her finger to her lip. "Well, maybe he isn't running. Considering he was wearing all black, he would seem suspicious as it is. If he was running, he could get more attention, which I don't think he was looking for."

"You're right! Ok, let's keep going!"

…

The bushes rustled and Amy jumped back. "What was that?" she asked Kaitou.

"I'm not sure." _Huh. Some detective she is._

"As a member of the Junior detective League, I demand that you come out right now!" Amy said with confidence.

_Wow._ Kaitou Kid smiled. _She might not be that bad after all. _

"You're from the Junior Detective League? Oh, hi Amy! Can you help me find my cat again?"

"Sorry, I'm kinda busy right now." Amy replied, relaxing. "I'm sure he'll find his own way home though.

"You look very familiar. Are you Jimmy Kudo?" The kid asked Kaitou.

"Yes." Kid answered. Amy looked at him with wide eyes, and he winked at her. "I came to visit my friend. She's kinda crazy, but I haven't seen her in a while. I'm kind of scared of what she'll do if I don't visit soon." He joked.

"Can I come?"

"Er-no. Sorry, but, you see, I'm also on a top-secret case. You can't tell anyone you saw me, ok?"

"Ok! Maybe after you finish the case you can help me find my cat!"

"Maybe."

The kid looked satisfied. "Sorry to bother you. Good luck with the case!" he said, and he turned around and walked away.

"I hope you find your cat!" Amy shouted after him.

…

A car turned a block away, and a shadow appeared for a second, only to vanish as the block went dark again. Harley and Conan tensed. Harley was the first to speak. "You saw that, right?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. We get him on three. One. Two. Three." They whipped around to grab Gin. Instead, they had grabbed the shirt of a little boy.

"Oh, hi Conan! Can you help me find my cat?" They dropped the shirt.

"Sorry, not right now. I'm already on a case. Maybe tomorrow."

"Are you working with Jimmy Kudo?" he asked. "I just saw him!" the kid explained.

Harley and Conan looked at each other. "Yeah, we are." Harley answered.

"Ok, good luck!" Harley and Conan looked at each other, a little puzzled at his lack of persistence. Harley shrugged, and they continued on their quest to find Gin.

…

George was walking a little ahead of Hakuba, looking from side to side when he stopped. "Ya know, we've been looking for like an hour now. I don't think he's here."

"Maybe you're right. It's getting late. Maybe it's time to go home for the night."

"Really?" George asked, puzzled at Hakuba's quick agreement.

"Sure, if you don't want to catch him and you want to just give up." Hakuba answered.

"That wouldn't look very good for me as the leader of the Junior Detective League. A good detective never gives up! Let's keep on going!" George exclaimed.

"Huh, you might turn out to be a fairly good detective after all."

…

_He has to be around here somewhere._ Ai thought to herself. A voice spoke from her right side. She stopped walking.

"Well, well, well. Do you miss your sister?"

"I knew you would be around here, Gin."

"Avoiding the question? It _can_ be quite a touchy subject. I'll give you that. How would you have known that I would be here?" Gin asked, curiously.

"It's just the way that you are."

"But you don't know me." Ai masked her surprise perfectly. She had been convinced that Gin had recognized her as Sherry.

"I know." Ai said, allowing a slight smile. "But I have heard of you."

"The Syndicate is no place to gossip about. She broke the code, and therefore Sherry deserved to die."

"You speak as if it were you who killed her. But you didn't, did you?"

Gin's slight cunning smile dropped off his face completely. "Either way, she got what she deserved."

…

"Conan, do you hear that? Check your badge; I think someone's got something." Conan put his badge up to his ear.

"No, nothing. But I do hear something. That can only mean…"

Conan and Harley looked at each other, and spoke at the same time. "Let's go."

…

"Maybe she did deserve to die, maybe she didn't."

"Nobody ever told me that there was another Miyano sister. How did they manage to keep you a secret for so long?" Ai smiled.

"It is not my place to share."

"Hmm. You would have been more useful to the Syndicate than Sherry. You two look alike." Gin seemed unfazed by that fact. He didn't seem annoyed that Ai was avoiding all his questions. "When I first saw you in that house, I thought that you were her. I thought that somehow she had escaped. That is, of course, impossible. She was quite a bit taller than you are. Sherry is dead. And, regretfully, you know too much and you have to die too." He looked anything but regretful. "Say hi to your two sisters for me." Gin gave Ai an evil grin. As if in slow motion, he reached down to pull out his handgun. Ai's eyes widened, as did Gin's grin. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a light gray cat with darker grey spots jumped on Gin, knocking him off balance.

"Mister! You found my cat!" a boy said gleefully as he attempted to pull the cat off Gin.

"Gah!" Gin made a sound as he yanked the cat off him and threw it at the young boy. "Get that thing out of here!" Gin growled, scaring him. As gin brushed off his coat, the kid saw a deep gash on Gin's arm. He looked up into Gin's cruel eyes, but Gin did not look behind him instead. When he realized that Ai was no longer there, he shot daggers from his eyes at the terrified catboy. Gin turned and walked away. A barely audible sound came from the bushes behind the boy. He didn't care though. Instead, the boy picked up his cat and ran home.

…

"It's amazing how he managed to keep his poise after he walked away, isn't it? He has a lot of self control, more than I ever would have thought possible. I always knew he had a good handle over his emotions, but I would have thought almost being knocked over by a three-pound kitten would have overcome that." Ai commented.

"You're lucky we grabbed you while he wasn't looking! What were you thinking, going after a cold-blooded murderer on your own?" Harley demanded. "If you think you were acting noble, think again! You were acting stupidly, and you were shaking the whole time that you were talking to him!" This angered Ai.

"I know what I was doing, and it was all going fine!"

"He was going to kill you! Did you not notice the handgun he pulled out? He would have shot you if that cat didn't attack him first! And you didn't even move when he was distracted! _I had to grab you._" Harley shot back.

"I know what you were doing." Conan said, surprising both Harley and Ai. "You were trying to use yourself as a distraction. You thought that if you got him to focus on you for the time, he might have forgotten about the Jimmy Kudo that he saw until it was too late to go back and react. You thought that he would have continued thinking the drug worked and we were both dead. And you thought that you could take care of yourself." Conan deduced. Ai nodded. "He might have remembered about the others by now. How are we going to tell—the badge!" Conan grabbed the JDL badge and attempted to find the right frequency. He found it about a minute later. He held the badge up to his mouth. "We saw him, and he escaped. He said something about a _Kid_." Conan emphasized. A voice responded from the badge.

"Forget the kid, young friend of Miyano. I stumbled upon someone more valuable."


	16. Chapter 16

It wasn't that difficult for Gin to find Jimmy Kudo. He had been walking down the street by the park, looking for the third Miyano sister. A little girl's voice had come from a tree that he was standing next to. "Jimmy, isn't that the guy we're after?" it had said. The other girl in that children's group was squatting on a branch next to the famous detective. Bingo. Just then a voice came from the tree. It sounded like it was coming from a walkie-talkie.

_Smart. They split up, yet they can still stay in contact. _Gin thought. The girl fumbled with a badge, obviously trying to make it quiet. However, she was unsuccessful. The voice sill came loud and clear.

"We saw Gin," it said. "He escaped. He was saying something about a _kid_." This seemed to get Jimmy's attention. The girl continued to fumble with the badge, but she dropped it. Right into Gin's hands. Turning the badge over, Gin saw a little speaker.

"Forget about the kid, young friend of Miyano." A small smile appeared on Gin's face. "I stumbled upon someone more valuable.

* * *

Amy looked close to tears.

"Quick! Climb!" Kid ordered.

"But my badge-"

"Forget the badge! You can always get a new one! But now we're in a life-or-death situation so CLIMB!" Amy didn't protest. Kaitou could see that she didn't understand how climbing could save them. _Clearly she has forgotten who I am._ They were nearing the top of the tree now. _No, I need more height! _"Do you see that pine tree?" Kid asked, pointing to a tall tree right next to the one they were in. Amy nodded. "I need you to be brave. See there, where the branches to this tree and that one are really close?" Amy nodded again. "I need you to cross onto that tree." Amy's eyes widened. "I'll be right here. You can trust me." Suddenly, there was a rustling from below. Gin was coming up! "Hurry! There's no time to lose!" Amy scrambled wordlessly across, closely followed by Kid. "Climb!" They went higher and higher. Soon, they were scrambling to the top of the tree—way above the rooftops.

"We're really high," Amy commented fearfully, talking for the first time since dropping her badge. Kaitou squatted and grabbed Amy. Picking her up, he ran carefully to the end of the top branch and jumped, pulling on a hidden string. His hand glider opened, and the elusive magician Kaitou Kid carried Amy far from the danger of Gin.

* * *

Rachel looked up to see a white glider blocking eclipse the moon. It was flying low, very low actually, under the tree tops. Rachel ducked, and a Jimmy look-alike gracefully landed in front of her, holding Amy.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am truly sorry for disappointing you, Miss Moore," he apologized, bowing. He slid on a monocle, and the white clothes confirmed it. This was not Jimmy Kudo, this was Kaitou Kid. "I was pretending to be someone who I am not…a skill I usually save for my heists. I am deeply sorry for disappointing you." Rachel looked upset.

"If you aren't him, then where is Jimmy?" Fear and sorrow crept into her voice.

"That, I am afraid, I can't tell you, though I wish that I could. Strange how he can just disappear where nobody can find him isn't it? Like magic. Being familiar with magic, I can say it is all an illusion. Watch carefully, as he may be closer than he seems." Kaito winked. "I trust you will take good care of our little girl here?" Rachel nodded. "Then until next time, Miss Moore." Kaitou said, politely taking Rachel's hand in his and kissing it. He turned to leave and took a few steps before turning around again. "I almost forgot. I believe this is yours," he said, flicking something towards Amy. She caught it, and looked down to see what it was. It was the Junior Detective League badge.

"My badge! But the bad man had it. How did you—" Amy started asking, and she looked up. She did not finish the question. Kaitou Kid had already disappeared into the moonlit horizon like a shadow, leaving Rachel and the two young detectives more confused than ever.


	17. Chapter 17

Conan, Harley, and Ai waited anxiously for something, _anything,_ to come over the badge after Gin's voice. Nothing. Ai pulled out the badge.

"No." Conan said. "You'll do nothing but make it cause more trouble." Ai nodded, lowering the badge. The three sat in a stiff silence for a couple minutes, waiting. Suddenly, Harley jumped up.

"I can't take sitting around here any longer. Those two, either Kaito and Amy or Rachel and Mitch, could get killed." Conan flinched. "We can't just sit here! We have to do something!" Conan's eyes were filled with a furious fire.

"I don't see a solution. There isn't much that we can do. As Conan said, we'll only make it worse." Ai commented. "I'm not sure how well it would work," Conan and Harley looked hopeful "but I could try to distract him again."

Harley looked outraged that she would even consider such a thing. "No!" He and Conan shouted in unison.

"What other way can we help?" Ai challenged.

The two detectives sat down again. "We wait. Until we can figure something out, or until we hear something else. Let's hope that if there's a cry for help, we can get there in time."

* * *

"Uh, what did he mean by 'more valuable'?" George asked.

"Well, I would guess he means that he caught the 'famous detective' Jimmy Kudo." Hakuba answered very matter-of-factly.

George gasped. "NO! AMY!"

"Or," Hakuba continued, "He found Rachel, and plans to use her as bait for Jimmy."

"Mitch!" George shouted. "We gotta do something!"

"And what exactly do you think you can do?" Hakuba laughed. But George was already running down the street at top speed to go save the day. "Kids. I knew they shouldn't have come." Hakuba commented to himself. He shook his head before taking off in pursuit of George.

* * *

"I'm safe. I'm with Rachel and Mitch now." Amy said into the badge. Mitch and Rachel stood behind her. Hakuba's voice came through the badge.

"As nice as it is that you are safe, I have a couple questions. What happened? And where is Jimmy Kudo?"

"How did you know that he's not here?" Mitch demanded, grabbing Amy's badge.

"Simple. She said 'I'm with Rachel and Mitch now,' not 'we are.'"

"Oh. Well, that's kind of a story. We'll explain that when we're all together. Can we meet back at Jimmy's house?" Rachel asked.

"Sure." George's voice came through that speaker.

"On our way." This was Harley.

"That would be best, considering we have a story to tell as well." Ai responded.

"Well, waddya waiting for? Let's go!" ordered George. Amy and Mitch smiled and answered into the badge at the same time.

"OK!"


	18. Chapter 18

Within 10 minutes, everyone, except for Kaitou Kid, was back at the Kudo mansion. "So who's gonna start?" asked Harley.

"As my partner and I only heard things and did not find anything of particular interest, I would say that someone else should. How about you, young girl? What happened to Jimmy Kudo? How did you end up with those two?" Hakuba interrogated Amy.

"Well, Jimmy told me to climb a tree. When Conan said something into the badge, about a kid, the guy found us. We climbed and climbed and climbed, 'til we were at the highest point of one tree, and then we crossed to another. We climbed that tree too. It was really high, higher than any of the buildings. Then he told me to hold on, and we jumped. We were on this…um…it was a…" Amy stammered.

Mitch stepped up. "It was a hand glider. It was white and so was everything else he was wearing." Hakuba's eyes widened. "He talked to Rachel, and then gave Amy her badge back."

"Oh. I forgot that…I dropped my badge and the bad man got it." Amy piped up. "But somehow the guy who was acting like Jimmy got it. I forgot what he was called though…"

"Kaitou Kid." Hakuba cursed.

"That's it!"

"What was the thief doing here?" Hakuba said quietly. "Little girl," he said a bit louder, "did Kid happen to mention what he was doing here?"

"Not that I remember…" Amy answered, tapping her chin with her index finger. "And my name is Amy, not 'little girl'" she added.

"So close, how didn't I figure it out?" Hakuba cursed himself.

"What does this have to do with the man in black?" George asked. Hakuba looked at George as if he just remembered why he was there with them in Jimmy's house.

Hmmm…Rachel, did you and your partner find anything?"

"My name is Mitch. And I'm not just her partner, I'm a detective!"

"Right. Well, was there anything important or suspicious that happened?" Hakuba asked, getting impatient.

Rachel answered hesitantly, thinking very carefully. "Not that I can think of. Mitch and I were mainly discussing the possible direction that he could have gone, and Mitch was guessing about how far he would be. That's about it, other than Jimmy turning out to be the Phantom Thief'." She turned to look at Mitch. "Is there anything that I missed?"

"No, that's all that happened." Mitch replied. "The only ones who seemed to have seen anything were Conan, Harley, Ai, and Amy. Amy already gave her statement, so that just leaves those three."

"No, Mitch. There was one other person who saw him." Conan corrected.

"The kid with the cat?" Harley asked. Conan nodded.

"We should find him, he could help us if he saw something, or if there is something else that he knows. But first, let's finish with our reports." Conan instructed. "Me and Harley ran into him. He said he was looking for his cat. I told him we were on a case, and he asked if we were working with Jimmy Kudo."

"We did run into him." Amy interrupted. "I wonder if he ever found his cat…"

"Amy, this is a detective case! Let Conan finish his story!" George scolded.

"Oh, sorry."

Conan nodded. "Anyway, he wished us luck and left. We continued walking when we heard Ai talking. After checking the badge, we saw her talking to Gin-"

"Gin?" Rachel asked.

"The man in black." Conan answered.

"How did you know his name?" Rachel demanded.

Conan ignored her. "We hid in the bush. Gin was about to shoot Ai when he was attacked by a cat. The kid was there. Gin got up and yelled at the kid before walking away." Conan concluded.

"That's it? He just walked away? What about her?" Hakuba interrogated.

"We had pulled her into the bushes." Harley answered.

"Ok, what about you? How did you find him?"

"Luck." Ai lied calmly. "And he tried to shoot me so that he could get away."

"Why didn't you call for help?" Rachel asked fearfully.

"That would have been a little obvious, don't you think?" Ai answered, keeping her calm tone. "And he didn't succeed, so what is the point?"

"You could have been killed! And even if you say that it didn't happen, it could have!" Harley exclaimed. "And if by some miracle he missed, we could have gotten him if you had called for help!"

"Harley, you were in the bushes. Why didn't _you_ call for help? And, more importantly, why didn't you grab her sooner?"

"I could have used more help." Hakuba looked smug. "If I had called for help, he would have caught us, and the same would have happened if I grabbed her sooner. I would have jumped out if he had attacked, but she was doing a very good job of keeping him still. If I have made any noise, it would have meant death for all three of us."

Hakuba nodded. "And I take it Amy's story comes after this chain of events?" Amy nodded, and Rachel looked at Hakuba.

"Now what do we do?"

"Now we find that little boy."

* * *

He walked through the streets swiftly. _Where is she? What does she know?_ Gin turned right, then left, and then continued past a few houses. Out of the streetlights, his Porsche was waiting. The shine of the black paint gleamed when Gin flicked his lighter. He lit his cigarette and got into the car. He cranked the engine once, twice, three times. Each time, it failed to catch. Gin cursed. His car was not old. The only explanation was that someone had drained that battery. He was stuck there. Gin got out of the car and slammed the door angrily. He walked off into the night, disappearing into the dark like a shadow.


End file.
